NLT Interlinear is online

If you are enjoy the New Living Translation, they have just launched a great website.  It is nltinterlinear.com.  I’ve just begun to explore the website, but it has some neat features.  You can do both English and Greek word searches.  You can also compare the Greek and the English side by side, or merge them together in an interlinear (a reverse interlinear is also available).  The Old Testament features aren’t all there yet, but it is really worth checking out.

New Articles at HCSB Website

If you haven’t been to the new HCSB website yet, it’s really worth checking out.  They have just posted several new articles explaining why they used terms like “Messiah” and “slave” (for my thoughts on the later of these, you can read here and here).

How God Blesses Us in Salvation

“God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.”  That’s how Paul begins his letter to the Ephesians.  When we examine this paragraph a little closer, we see at least a half of dozen ways God blesses us through His great gift of salvation.  Paul writes, 

“³ Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. ⁴ For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love ⁵ He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, ⁶ to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved. ⁷ We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace ⁸ that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. ⁹ He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure that He planned in Him ¹⁰ for the administration of the days of fulfillment—to bring everything together in the Messiah, both things in heaven and things on earth in Him. ¹¹ We have also received an inheritance in Him, predestined according to the purpose of the One who works out everything in agreement with the decision of His will, ¹² so that we who had already put our hope in the Messiah might bring praise to His glory. ¹³ When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. ¹⁴ He is the down payment of our inheritance, for the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:3-14, HCSB).

How does God bless us?  Let’s quickly look at these six things:

1. He chose us to be holy and blameless in His sight (v.4) – God chooses us before the creation of matter itself to be holy and blameless in His sight.  He enables, empowers, and expects us to live holy lives (1 Peter 1:16) and declares us blameless in His sight.
2. He predestined us to be adopted into His family (v.5) – God brings us into His family (Romans 8:15).  All former legal charges against us do not stand.  They are not valid.  We are part of a new family.  In that family, we have an intimacy with the Father.  We are not second class members on the outskirts of family gatherings.  We can cry out “Abba, Father”
3. He redeemed us through the sacrificial death of Jesus (v.7) – God purchases us and sets us free from the power of sin and death through the substitutionary, sacrificial death of Jesus.
4. He made known to us the mystery of His will (v.9) – God reveals to us His will regarding salvation.  In addition, He leads us in the daily aspects of our lives.
5. He gave us an inheritance (v.11) – God promises us that we will share in what He is given to His own Son (Romans 8:17).
6. He seals us with the Holy Spirit (v.13) – God marks and authenticates our salvation with the indwelling of His Spirit.  The Spirit is just a down payment of more to come.  His work in our lives also reminds us that we are secure in Christ. 

Why does God do all of this?  He does it because He loves us.  He wants us to be with Him.  But, primarily, God does all of this for His glory.  When we advocate a works concept of salvation, we are taking from God the glory He so richly deserve.  May He receive all of the glory for blessing us in salvation the way that He does.

Vessel or Nature

In preparing to teach 1 Thessalonians, I encountered some of the various interpretations of 1 Thessalonians 4:4.  The verse says, “that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, (1 Thessalonians 4:4, NASB).  The word “vessel” (skeuos) offers a couple of different options.  Most of our English translations render it as “body” (NIV/TNIV, NLT, NET, and ESV).  Others opt for a more literal approach and use the word “vessel” (NASB, HCSB, and NKJV).  The word, however, can also be translated “wife.”  Most of the translations offer that option in a footnote.

 What struck me as peculiar was not how the word skeuos was translated in 1 Thessalonians, but in 1 Peter.  Peter writes, “You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered” (1 Peter 3:7, NASB).  Again, this verse presents a couple of different renderings.  Some use “partner” (TNIV/NIV, NET).  Some use ”vessel” (ESV, NKJV).  Some leave it a little more vague (NASB, NLT).  The HCSB, however, translates it with the word “nature.”  When one considers the various meanings of the English word “nature,” one walks away with a different picture from the HCSB than the other translations offer.

An Interesting Absence

In the opening chapters of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, he recounts his ministry among them, and identifies with the peresecution they are facing (1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:16).  After that, he writes,

“Therefore, when we could no longer stand it, we thought it was better to be left alone in Athens.  And we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you concerning your faith, so that no one will be shaken by these persecutions.  For you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.  In fact, when we were with you, we told you previously that we were going to suffer persecution, and as you know, it happened.  For this reason, when I could no longer stand it, I also sent ⌊him⌋ to find out about your faith, fearing that the tempter had tempted you and that our labor might be for nothing” (1 Thessalonians 3:1-5, HCSB).  

In light of his concerns, Paul sends Timothy to minister to the Thessalonians.  He continues,

“But now Timothy has come to us from you and brought us good news about your faith and love and ⌊reported⌋ that you always have good memories of us, wanting to see us, as we also want to see you.  Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution, we were encouraged about you through your faith.  For now we live, if you stand firm in the Lord.  How can we thank God for you in return for all the joy we experience before our God because of you, as we pray very earnestly night and day to see you face to face and to complete what is lacking in your faith” (1 Thessalonians 3:6-10, HCSB)?

 He then prays for his friends. 

“Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you.  And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone, just as we also do for you.  May He make your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.  Amen” (1 Thessalonians 3:11-13, HCSB).

What’s interesting to me is what’s absent from his prayer.  In his concern for them and their faith in the midst of trials, he prays for the love to overflow.  He asks God to make them blameless.  He does not ask for God to remove their trials or to stop their persecutions.  That’s what I would have prayed.  I imagine that’s what you would have prayed also.  Yet, Paul doesn’t.  He asks God to strengthen their walk in the midst of their suffering.  That has a pretty powerful impact on how we view trials.  Sometimes, the loudest lessons are in what’s absent.

A Better Revelation

God reveals Himself.  He always has.  The author of the book of Hebrews reminds us “Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways” (Hebrews 1:1, HCSB).  Over thousands of years, and through a variety of methods, God spoke of the coming Messiah.  In Jesus, however, He offers a better revelation.  Our author goes on to say,

“In these last days, He has spoken to us by ⌊His⌋ Son.  God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through Him.  The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word.  After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:2-3, HCSB).

The book of Hebrews is all about better.  And in Jesus, we have the fulfillment of what the prophets promised.  The author suggests to us seven things that make Jesus special.

1. He is the heir of all things
2. God made all there is through Him (John 1:3 and Colossians 1:16).
3. He is the radiance of God’s glory
4. He is the exact express of God’s nature, the “exact imprint” (ESV) of God.  Jesus is the “same stuff” as God.  He is God.
5. He sustains all things (Colossians 1:17).  He not only creates everything, but He holds it all together.
6. He purified our sins (Titus 2:14)
7. He is seated at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19).  The word of redemption is complete and Jesus is enthroned.

With all of this in mind, we must come to grips with three questions.  First, If God is speaking, should we not take the time and make the effort to listen?  We take the time to listen to all the other voices around us.  We know all the office gossip.  We track our favorite teams and our stock investments faithfully.  We make the effort to absorb as much information as possible except where it really makes a difference.  We need to take the time to listen to God.  He is speaking.  We need to hear.  Second, If Jesus is enthroned at the right hand of God, should we not remember that we answer to Him (Philippians 2:10)?  One day, each of us will give an account of our lives to Jesus.  Our lives need to reflect that reality.  Third, If the work of redemption is done, why are we still trying to earn our way to God based on our own merits?  Many of us are subtly engaged in a salvation by works mentality.  We marginalize and justify our sin in an effort to make ourselves seem righteous.  We lean on our religious activities and involvement as a means of justifying us.  We are constantly comparing ourselves to everyone else, thinking that if we are better than them, God has to embrace us.  We are not saved by our own efforts.  The work of redemption is done.  Christ has sat down at the Father’s right hand.  Salvation is by grace alone.  And, while our lives will bear evidence of God’s saving grace through what we do, what we do does not earn or merit His saving grace.  May we respond properly to God’s better revelation.

Did Jesus Become a Slave or a Servant?

I have written on more than one occasion my thoughts concerning whether “slave” or “servant” is the best translation of the Greek word doulos (you can read some here and here).  While reading Philippians 2, I did have to stop to ponder when I came to Paul’s description of Christ’s sacrifice.  There, Paul writes of Jesus,

“Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7 , HCSB).

It prompted the question this question in my mind.  Would “servant” have been a better translation in this one verse?  While understanding that the incarnation is primarily about redemption, Paul was using Christ’s sacrfice as a model for others to follow.  With that in mind, was he trying to communicate servanthood or subjugation in this particular verse?  Verses 1-4 seem to suggest servanthood. 

“If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal.  Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.  Everyone should look out not ⌊only⌋ for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.  Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:1-5, HCSB).

Verse 8, on the other hand, seems to suggest subjugation. 

“He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8, HCSB).

Could it be that servant would have been a better choice on this one occasion?  All the English translations I consulted translated the word consistently.  In other words, if they use “servant,” they stuck with “servant;” and if they used “slave,” they stuck with “slave.”  I’m not suggesting the NLT or the HCSB were wrong for using “slave,” but I did have to stop and roll some things over in my mind as I read this passage. 

Words Matter: Propitiation

I realize that Bible translators have a difficult job.  Part of what makes their work so difficult is that some biblical terms just do not have an everyday alternative.  One such word is propitiation.  I have written a previous post on how important this word is to our understanding of God’s righteousness and salvation (you can read it here).  With that said, I want to take another look at how our more prominent English translations handle the word.

The word propitiation is from the Greek word hilasmos.  It basically means a sacrifice that averts the wrath of God.  It speaks to satisfying His righteous standards.  Although the word only appears four times in the New Testament, it is an important word that many translations take a little too lightly.  The more formal translations (NASB, ESV, and NKJV) all simply use the term “propitiation” on all four occasions.  The HCSB aslo uses propitiation as well as an explanatory footnote.  The more “dynamic” translations tend to go with something else.  The CEV and NLT simply use the word “sacrifice.”  The NCV speaks of  Jesus dying in our place.  The NIV/TNIV uses “atoning sacrifice” (the NIV includes a footnote that speaks to averting wrath while interestingly the TNIV does not). 

Here is a brief examination of a couple of passages (Romans 3:25, 1 John 4:10):

ESV, NASB, NKJV, – “propitiation”

HCSB– “propitiation” w/ an explanatory footnote that says “Or as a propitiatory sacrifice, or as an offering of atonement, or as a mercy seat; see [Heb 9:5]. The word propitiation has to do with the removal of divine wrath. Jesus’ death is the means that turns God’s wrath from the sinner; see [2 Co 5:21].”

CEV, NLT – “sacrifice”

TNIV, NIV– “atoning sacrifice” (NIV w/ a footnote mentioning averting wrath, TNIV with one connecting to the mercy seat)

NCV – “to die in our place to take away sin”

I think the HCSB handles it the best.  Let the word stand on its own and explain it in a footnote.  The more dynamic efforts simply minimize an important piece of the puzzle (although the NIV at least tries to paint a fuller picture with a footnote).

Words Matter: Grace

Grace (the Greek word charis) is simply defined as the unmerited favor of God.  God impacts our lives because of His character, and not because of any merit on our part.  With that said, I thought it would be worthwhile to look at how many of our more prominent translations communicate the term and the idea behind it. 

Unlike many of the other terms in this series, this one is fairly uniform.  Almost all of the translations I examined use the term grace a vast majority of the time.  When they do depart from the term grace, they all usually handle it the same way (for instance, God’s “favor” is upon Mary in Luke 1:30).  The one exception seems to be the CEV.  It tends to speak of God’s kindness and place “grace” in a footnote.

Words Matter: Slave or Servant

On my other website, I have been tracing my journey through Biblical translations.  For me, part of that process included how certain words were handled.  Some of the words are important theological terms or concepts.  Others, although perhaps not as important theologically, matter to me.  One of those words is the word “slave” or “servant.”

I have written about this topic before (you can read my previous post here).  The word behind slave/servant is the Greek word doulos.  Simply defined, it means slave.  For whatever reason, most prominent English translations opt for something else.  The NIV, NCV, CEV, and surprising the ESV all use the word servant.  The NASB uses the word bond-servant (which I think may be a word they created).  In my way of thinking, a slave and a servant are two different things.  The English dictionaries that I consulted suggest that a servant is a person hired for something like household duties or public service.  On the other hand, a slave is a person whose will is completely subjugated to his or her master.  The NLT and the HCSB use the word slave. 

Does this all make a difference?  Not as much as some other words do, but it is still an important difference.  A servant conjures up one image while slave conjures up another.  In an era where an overwhelming percentage of the population were slaves, it seems to me that Paul knew exactly what he was doing by using the word doulos.  And, it seems to me that the best approach to translating the word would have been to use the word slave.  Kudos to the NLT and the HCSB for doing so.